Airbus A380 Ready For Maiden Flight

October 25, 2007|By Julie Johnsson Chicago Tribune

SINGAPORE — The world will be watching as first all-new jumbo jet to be developed in nearly 40 years lifts off into muggy skies here this morning on a maiden commercial flight bound for Sydney, Australia.

The much-hyped event, which has drawn aviation enthusiasts from around the world, is a testament to the traveling public's enduring fascination with staggeringly large aircraft, observers say.

But it's anyone's guess as to whether the Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet will ultimately be remembered for breakthrough designs that made the plane quieter and roomier than its predecessors - or for development costs estimated to have ballooned to $18 billion.

"It will very possibly have its day," said Paul Nisbet, aerospace analyst with Rhode Island-based JSA Research, of the A380. "But I think it could be 15 years or more before they (Airbus) could break even."

What's undisputed is that the A380 is now the world's largest commercial airplane, a distinction that Boeing Co.'s 747 jumbo jet had held since its debut in 1970.

With its spiral staircase, noise-dampening design and wingspan the size of a football field, the new Airbus offers a new twist on flying.

Singapore Airlines, the launch customer for the A380, hopes that the version it shows off to the world today will set a new standard for airline luxury, with private suites for first-class passengers and extra-wide seats for those traveling in its business cabin. "They're trying to bring luxury back to international travel," said Richard Aboulafia, aviation analyst with Teal Group, a Virginia-based market research firm.

It's no coincidence that Singapore Airlines will use its first giant jets - configured for 471 passengers but with the capacity to accommodate 800 - on some of aviation's most lucrative routes: ferrying passengers between Singapore and Sydney and, in coming months, London. Australia is the carrier's biggest market, accounting for more than 20 percent of its revenues, according to Peter Harbison, executive chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a Sydney-based market research firm.

But Airbus SAS, the jet's manufacturer, faces a serious battle of its own in trying to gain a broader market for the jet. Some observers compare its plight to Boeing's struggles three decades ago to establish the 747 during a global oil crisis. The latest jumbo is entering service at a time when airlines are replacing their fleets of super-sized aircraft with smaller, fuel-efficient planes.